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Castrol GTX high mileage 20w50/ catalytic converter California
So I’ve been running the regular Castrol GTX 20w/50 oil my 1990 22re For over 400+ thousand miles .past 400,000 miles I replace the Catalytic converter here in California like 4 times .
So I just discovered that phosphorus kills catalytic converter‘s Castrol GTX has a lot of it . Now I’m looking at just using the high mileage Castro GTX it has a lower phosphorus in it
Just looking to see if anyone’s use this oil for 22re it is synthetic blend
* because the pickup has been using 20/50 for over 400 Thousand
* better lubrication better protection on cold start up and all round
* quiets the engine / Valve chatter
* Here in California never gets cold enough to run lighter
*truck has over 500,000 miles on the Motor must be doing something right has never had an engine breakdown using 20/50
* because the pickup has been using 20/50 for over 400 Thousand
* better lubrication better protection on cold start up and all round
* quiets the engine / Valve chatter
* Here in California never gets cold enough to run lighter
*truck has over 500,000 miles on the Motor must be doing something right has never had an engine breakdown using 20/50
I mean... you've also spent enough money in replacement catalytic converters to rebuild that 22re 1-2 times. My 88 4Runner just had the original catalytic converter replaced this year and I'm at 252k miles.
I use 10w40 Castrol GTX High Mileage because of the low phosphorus/zinc levels. I haven't used a conventional oil since owned a flat tappet SBF.
I've been using the Castrol 10W30 Syntec High Mileage in my pickup for 370,000 miles, and 87 4Runner for 170,000 miles to date. Both still chuggin along nicely. Changed ever 5000 miles.
I was using the PurOne filter, PN 300001, until I saw a test done by Bob the Oil Guy which showed how much better the Toyota filters are. Not that the Purolator is BAD, per se, but the Toyota is better, is all. Now, they're my choice for filter.
California sucks on smog checks Back in the day cats didn’t cost $800 like now
back in the day cats were $250/$300 max
Yep. I was lucky enough to purchase a brand new catalytic converter for $219.99 from LC Engineering before the major spike in cost.
My suggestion to you? Measure the length of the catalytic converter (it'll either be a 12.5" or 17.5") and get yourself a test pipe and new gaskets. Our trucks are old enough that the catalytic converter does absolutely nothing for the overall health of the vehicle. Ever since I got a new catalytic converter, I put the cat on, drive it for a week, smog it, pull it off and then put it back into the box it came in. Not only does it prevent theft, having to replace the converter but it's also illegal and illegal things are cool. (do this at your own risk, it's a big no-no to remove any emission equipment in the state of California).
Yeah same here I got my new cat just before the spike I think it has less than 10,000 miles on it I’m just gonna run the high mileage GTX 20w50 now so hopefully it will save my cat this time
We ran Castrol GTX in many Toyotas my family drove in the 90’s and none of them ever lost a cat. They were in the 100-200k miles range then. Judging by my high mileage Honda and Corolla, i don’t expect aftermarket cats to last as long as OEM. I’ve gotten about 3 years on aftermarket cheapies and that was about 50-60k miles.
Last edited by Melrose 4r; 12-09-2021 at 05:40 AM.
We ran Castrol GTX in many Toyotas my family drove in the 90’s and none of them ever lost a cat. The were in the 100-200k miles range then. Judging by my high mileage Honda and Corolla, i don’t expect aftermarket cats to last as long as OEM. I’ve gotten about 3 years on aftermarket cheapies and that was about 50-60k miles.
i agree that the aftermarket cats don't last as long. i got about 100k on the one in '87 #1 before the middle blew out.
We ran Castrol GTX in many Toyotas my family drove in the 90’s and none of them ever lost a cat. The were in the 100-200k miles range then. Judging by my high mileage Honda and Corolla, i don’t expect aftermarket cats to last as long as OEM. I’ve gotten about 3 years on aftermarket cheapies and that was about 50-60k miles.
+1 on this assessment. I have been getting 150,000-200,000 miles on original OEM cats on my vehicles. The cheapo aftermarket cat I put in my Civic a couple of years ago lasted 30,000 miles before it set the low efficiency CEL. I wasn't aware of the phosphorus issue.
I've been running the Castrol High Mileage GTX 20W50 in my '87 22RE in CA and have had no issues with the converter, but am only at just under 200k miles.
'89 2wd 22RE, California since new, my brother used whatever 10-30 on sale until 150,000 miles. Then I got it and used Chevron or Shell 10-30 whatever on sale until 170,000, and switched to WallyWorld SuperTech 10-30 full synthetic. Original cat converter and exhaust system, runs like a top, and passed smog back in August. 196,000 miles now.
Since I lived in Yuma, Az for nearly 30 years, and bought both my 87's there, there were no smog checks for me to put up with. Given a combination of farming, and the wind picking up amazing amounts of dust/crud, the air is some of the worst in the US. Especially around harvest season, when they plow up the fields.
Now, I live in a town in Oregon that hasn't any smog checks either. None of of my trucks has ever had a smog check to date.
Something I do to the cats every couple years is to bang on the cats a few times with a ball peen hammer. Not enough to dent or bend anything, but pretty firmly, let's say. It SEEMS to make a big difference. Nothing else, the exhaust sure smells different after I do that. It was recommended I do that by a professional mechanic I worked with. By the same token, he strongly recommended removing the cat, shoving a large standard screwdriver into it, and stirring it around. Then dump all the "stuff" in it into the garbage, and put th cat back on. He didn't seem to consider cats very necessary. He DID help me get all the air injection and other smog stuff off my pickup, and it made a big difference in the way the truck runs. Been that way ever since. More power, better mileage, etc.
I sure hope I never live any place that requires smog checks, though. I know the pickup would fail, just due to all the missing smog trash. That's ok, I doubt I'll ever live in California again. Not the third world hole it's become.
Just to muddy the waters further, on my last oil change I went with Mobil 1 15w50. The goal was to get more oil pressure at idle. Seems to be working ok.
My 86 Owners manual had a chart of ambient temp vs oil viscosity. It warm climates a 20W-50 is recommended. Guessing CA is considered a warm climate.
Depends on what part. Death Valley, or Glamis Dunes, yes. SF Bay Area, and north, especially along the coast, no. Not a cold climate there, but a lot cooler than the other.
Just check the temps on the charts for the oil. They tell the tale pretty well.
Pat☺
Here's the oil recommendation chart for a 1987 22RE below.
Given that SF Bay Area pretty much is never below 30degF, the chart suggests 20W50 looks okay for the area. Extrapolating from the chart, I'd suggest Mama Toyota says a 20W-xx is good down to at least +20degF.
Per the chart:
5W-xx good down to - 25degF
10W-xx good down to 0degF
15W-xx good down to +10degF
The thing about these charts always is that the engine operates at a constant temperature (for the most part) as regulated by the thermostat. The only time the engine [oil] encounters this range is before starting and first warm-up of the day, but during operation all oils are at pretty much the same temperature.
Castrol GTX 20/50 in a 224k 83', a bit of blow by is the reason the mechanic suggested it (first owner might not have done 3-5k oci and used Fram).
I tried the syn gold 5-30, too thin and used a bit, leaks a bit too due to bad pan gasket.
Have a gasket but unable to install due to a disability, (Only $300 plus to have it installed lol) Oil pressure is nice with the 20/50, no cat problems, still has original. Always kept a good tune up till more recent carb problem and failed CA smog 5 times, finally got it fixed.
If one does 3k oil changes on city driving, or 5k changes on highway driving, (dino oil) should be good for the longevity.
12-06-2021, 09:32 AM
(do this at your own risk, it's a big no-no to remove any emission equipment in the state of California).
